Liberia Basketball Association Congress in Limbo

Monrovia – The long-awaited Extraordinary Congress of the Liberia Basketball Association (LBA) that was expected to be held on Thursday, May 3, at theAssociation’s Headquarters on Broad Street could not be held due to the absence of 80 percent of the stakeholders.

According to LBA, the congress was due to kickoff the national league, which has not been played for months.

Liberian basketball has been facing serious crisis with many of the stakeholders expressing their dissatisfactions in the current LBA leadership, which is headed by Rufus Anderson.

One of such stakeholders that did not show up for the congress is the president of female outfit K-Delta, Mr. Abraham Samukai, who frown at the way the game is been run in Liberia.

In a letter sent to the LBA, Samukai said he wonders why his team name is not listed among the clubs that have registered to participate in the upcoming national league.

The K Delta president asserted that he paid his club’s registration fee but a letter issued him to participate in the congress did not indicate his club’s name.

“I am a registeredpresident of K-Delta to date with all financial records. I noticed that K-Delta is not listed on your document sent out, requesting me to participate in the Association’sExtraordinary General Assembly.”

He indicated that it is inconceivable to send citation for extraordinary congress assembly when last season league was never concluded with closing activities.

“There has been no financial reportsubmitted to the Executive Committee of the LBA for onward submission to stakeholders and finally, under the constitution, a proposed agenda should be sent to all stakeholders and adopted by the assembly, none of such wasmentioned,” he charged.

The letter of memorandum sent to the association’s registered team presidents for the congress, it is made clear that all teams’ presidents should be present and on time as vital issues relative to the state of affairs of basketball in Liberia and its future would be discussed.

Meanwhile, LBA president Anderson on Wednesday told this paper that his Association’s 2018 national league willkickoff Saturday, April 5, and the opening match willbe played between Fire and Island Clippers while Island Calves meets Cape Mount Wizards to close the day’s encounters–all in the third division.

Anderson, in an exclusive interview with this paper on Wednesday, May 2, said all was set for the commencement of the 2018 national league and that an extraordinary congress was to be held on Thursday, May 3. Unfortunately, the Congress didn’t go as was anticipated by Anderson.

With the abandonment of the Congress, it is now unclear when the long-awaited league will kickoff.